


My Neighbor Kuroo

by samuraiheart



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Neighbors AU, Other, and our rooms face each other, cause moving is v hard, cause the mcs lonely??, cause we live across from each other, cause your mom decided she likes him, finding kuroo in your kitchen at 9am, fluff make the world go round, kuroo has a motorcycle, lets sing disney songs to each other, light angst?, sneaking out at 3am
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 14:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6288583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samuraiheart/pseuds/samuraiheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"My sister threw the frisbee into your yard, sorry. We just moved in the other day." I said, "and also can I ask why you're shirtless?"</p><p>He smirked. "Is there a reason you’re noticing my shirtless self?"</p><p> </p><p>or</p><p> </p><p>you just moved and your new neighbor happens to be kuroo</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. new town, new house, new life, new neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> Hi^w^
> 
> this is my reader x kuroo fic, hope you enjoy

I press my nose to the window and watch the scenery roll past. Lots of cute houses and shops, I’ve already spotted a cafe that was calling me. I smile.This town seems nice. I sit back down in my seat when my breath fogs up the glass. Only a couple more minutes wait until I get to my new house. I hope it's pretty. I hope the garden’s nice. I hope it'll have a balcony, or maybe a deck. I hope there'll be a fireplace and a window ledge for me to curl up and read in during the winter. I hope my room's nice. An open room with lots of windows. Somewhere where lots of light gets through. Maybe a walk in closet. One so big I'll walk into it and see another one. 

Moving sucks. I'm leaving behind my friends and old life. Everything I've built up in my life- gone. But moving sometime isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it's nice to start in a fresh place where no one knows you. No one knows you, so no one can make any assumptions. No one expects anything of you. I'll miss my friends from my old town and hopefully we'll keep in touch, but I'm looking forward to this town. It has a great public education system, better school funding. There's lots of parks and like I saw earlier, cute little shops, not those chain stores. There's also ice skating and roller skating rinks which will be fun, and the public pool is awesome. Three slides. Three. Plus a high dive. This town is also closer to the coast, so I'll be able to go to the beach in the summer. I never got to go in my old town, so I'm really looking forward to the summer. 

I'm pulled away from my thoughts at the voice of my dad. 

"We're here! Finally." I pretty much jumped over my younger sister to climb out of the car. I gazed up at the new house. 

"Oh my god." I breathed. Dad sees my face and smiled. "I know. It's great right."

There, was our new house. The paint was white. But not white enough to hurt your eyes, it was an appealing white. If that makes sense. It does, you just have to be there. There was a chimney, made of red and gray bricks that poked out of the left side of the house. It has three stories and a basement. There are lots of flowers in the lawn, blooming beautifully in the perfect midsummer weather. There are also lots of tiger lilies, which happen to be my favorite flower. What couldn't be more perfect?

"Let's go in." Dad suggests. I nod, barely able to contain my enthusiasm. My sister on the other hand, is a very different story. She was very against moving, even if she knew she had to for Dad's work. She's just a stubborn 14 year old who doesn't like change. 

"Come on May! Come on Erica." Dad shakes my mom who had fallen asleep 30 minutes into the 4 hours car ride. May grumbled, finally climbing out of the car but not removing her headphones. Mom shakes off sleep and bounces towards the doorway. Dad shakes his head laughing, and proceeds to open the door. What greets me is a hallway with dark wood floors lined by doors on either side. I yank my shoes off, disregarding the laces and rush into the house. I run through the hallway that leads into a kitchen. 

"MOM IT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED IT’S NICE AND BIG AND GUESS WHAT WE FINALLY HAVE A DISHWASHER!!!" I yell over to Mom. I hear a faint "coming" in response. I grin take the time to admire my new kitchen further. There's an island in the middle with a marble topping. We haven't put in the fridge yet, but I can see a good nook to put it in. There are cabinets lining the walls above the sink and where the stove will be. They're painted red, which goes well with the white and black tiled wall. It's such a homely kitchen, I bet my mom will love it. 

I venture further into the house. Straight ahead is the dining room, the the left the living room. I peek into the dining room. It's very empty, we'll put the dining table in there later. 

I go into the living room. It's a large open space with dark wooden floors and four windows. When I look out one I see our front lawn and the car. Across from the entranceway is a fireplace, just like I wanted. I just imagine our TV mounted above it, facing our couch. I can imagine the cozy winters(although it's still summer) where we can all curl up in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate and watch Disney movies...(my family has a Disney obsession) Preoccupied with my thoughts I drift towards the last room, the sunroom. 

"Oh!" My mouth falls open before I can even register it. What greets me is obviously going to be my favorite room in the house. A spacey room that's circular with dark wooden floors and light cream paint- but what gets me is the ceiling and walls. The ceiling is mostly glass, windows meeting up and the center and going all the way down to the floor. Sunlight filters through, giving the room an almost enchanted feel, as though something magical could happen at any minute. As I stand there in awe, the rest of my family catches up. 

"Beautiful isn't it." My dad grins. He was the only one who say the house before we moved. I feel a face cracking smile stretch across my face. 

"I might die of happiness right now."

 

"Glad your happy. May?"

Even May looks entranced, although at Dad's words she snaps out of it, pushing a scowl back on her face. 

"It's fine." She mumbles and turns up the volume of her music. Mom shakes her head. "Let's go see your rooms!" A new jolt of excitement races through me. My room! 

I race back through the house, through the living room and kitchen, and to the hallway. The stairs are in the left corner of the house, at the very end of the hallway. I take the steps two at a time. I end up on a floor with dark wooden floors. The people who designed this house must really love dark wooden floors. But who am I to complain? I love it! 

So many doors! Which should I try first. My hand reaches towards the handle of the door closer to the staircase-

"That would be the bathroom." My dad chuckles. Oh. Well then. But the bathroom's important too! I hope there's a big bath. I'm the type of persons to sit in the bath for hours at a time, reading or watching something. I open the door. The walls were tile, black and white again. There was a shower hanging from the wall, above the biggest bathtub I've ever seen. Again, here comes that face breaking smile. I can't wait to spend hours in this thing. I turn around. My smile says it all. There's also a sink with a wide mirror and cabinet. There's racks for towels and a small window above the toilet. 

I walk about, wondering if this house could get any better. "Here's your room!" Dad says.

It just did. My room. Is the most. Perfect thing. Ever. Light cream walls and ceiling, those dark wooden floors. Enough space for a desk and my loft bed to easily fit. A closet- which isn't a walk in, but it doesn't matter. Because there, I see it. 

"A SKYLIGHT I HAVE A SKYLIGHT!!" Vaguely I heard myself shrieking and my parents laughing, but all I was thinking about was how perfect this was. A perfect chance to start anew. I was not going to mess this up. 

We toured the rest of the house. May's room was nice too, and very, well- Mayish. It was obvious she liked the darker room with its curtains and tens of outlets but she wouldn't admit it. The master bedroom was large, as expected and airy. I like my room the best. There's also a closet that connects my parents room with May's room. We head up to the attic, which will be Dad’s office. The attic is also very big with lots of light. This house has lots of windows and places for sunlight to entire, which I am very happy about. Finally, the basement. 

The basement is half storage, half open. The entire floor is carpeted, and Dad says he plans to put our other couch down there with a TV so we can play Wii. Sounds good to me. 

Just as we were heading up the stairs towards the first floor, we hear the doorbell ring. I rush up the stairs, this time taking three at a time. I wonders who it is? The movers probably. 

I yank the door open, coming face to face with a couple. 

"Hi!" The man said, "My name is Ray Kuroo. This is my wife Lisa."

"Nice to meet you Kuroo-san." I say politely, dipping my head. 

"We live right next to you, so if you need any help settling in or getting your way around town, just call us."

As he was talking Dad and Mom entered the scene. They seem to have lost May somewhere along the way. I excuse myself and head back into the house. The new house is beautiful, the neighbors are friendly- this town is going to be great. I can feel it. 

~X~

I go to sleep early that night. The movers came shortly after the Kuroos left, bringing with all the furniture and boxes we needed to unpack. If I ever see another box again I may puke. We hadn't even gone through a quarter of the boxes when Mom announced she was going to bed. We all followed her suit. So here I am, laying on my new bed in my new room in my new house in my new town. I stare up at the blank ceiling. I wonder if Dad will let me paint it blue like the night sky? That's how my old room was. I had painted the ceiling blue with neon glow in the dark stars. I miss my old room- no. I won't think of that. I'm here, in the present, not the past. I shouldn't be thinking about my old house, or my old town, or my friends that I left behind- this isn't working. I can feel the oncoming tears. I don't want to be here. I want to be home. But this is my new home, my mind reasons with my heart. Tonight my heart just wasn't going to listen. Everything I'd been holding in today was about to be let out. Yes, I love this house. It's beautiful and perfect and everything I've ever wanted. But it isn't home. The new neighbors are nice, but they aren't the people I've grown up with my entire life. I have no friends here, no life. I press my face down into my pillow, feeling the tears welling and sobs crawling up my throat. 

That's when I hear it. A noise coming from my window. Singing....? It seems far too off pitch for that. But as I listen closer, the words become clearer. 

"You got a friend in meeee. You've got a friend in meeeeee. You've got troubles, and I've got ‘em too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for youuuuu. We stick together and can see it through. ‘Cause you've got a friend in meeeee."

The voice singing was terribly off tune and very scratchy. It was a male voice, and from the sound of it he was around my age. I find myself beginning to laugh at the irony of it all. Seriously? Someone was singing "You've got a friend in me" while I was breaking down about not having friends and feeling lonely. I started to laugh. The laughs wracked my body, chasing away the sobs. I feel tears trickling down my face, but I'll just say those are tears of laughter. 

"And as the years go by, our friendship will never die. You’re gonna see it’s destiny. Oh yooooouu gotta friend in meee."

The singing trailed off. I guess whoever's singing is done. 

"'ll be there someday!!!! I can go the distance. I will find my way if I can be stroooooong. I know every mile! It will be worth my while! When I go the distance, I'll be right where I beloooooong!!!!!!"

Nope. Nope they aren't done. And I listened as the singer went on to swing the entirety of "Go the Distance." Once they went through that, it was on to a very warbled "Can you feel the love tonight." I must have been very tired because at the end, I was starting to like the sound of their voice. It sounded less scratchy and kind of comforting. Like I said I was very tired. I fell asleep to the sound of them singing "Kiss the girl".

~X~

I wake up to the smell of pancakes, wafting through the house. I shake off the last traces of sleep and lumber out of bed, hungry for Mom's Pancakes™. The pancakes she makes are the best in the world, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. 

I walk downstairs and get confused as to which door to go through, but I follow my nose into the kitchen. 

"Morning! Or more like noon." Mom jokes. I roll my eyes and plop down onto one of the stools surrounding the island. My mouth is watering. I can just taste the pancake in my mouth, sinking my teeth into the fluffyness that is Mom's Pancakes™. Pouring on lots of maple syrup eating strawberries. That reminds me.

"Mom do we have any strawberries?"

 

"Yeah your dad went out and bought groceries this morning. There's milk in the fridge"

 

"Cool."

Mom sets the plate of steaming pancakes in front of me. I pour on enough syrup to drown a fish. 

"Where's May?" I inquire, my mouth full. Just as I expected, the pancakes are fried to perfection. Mom just gestures up. Still asleep I guess. I swallow the rest of my bite and chase it down with a gulp of milk. 

"I'm going to take a look around the neighborhood today," I tell Mom. She smiles and nods her permission. 

~X~ 

After breakfast I get changed into a pair of shorts and my favorite fandom t shirt. I slip on my sneakers and leave, right after seeing May finally come downstairs. I walk down our walkway and onto the sidewalk. Where to go first. I look around. Our street extends in both directions, but I see an intersection to my right. If I remember properly, that’s where we drove through so the center of town where I saw that café should be around there. I head in that direction. As I do, I look around at the other houses. They're all around the same size as ours. The vary in color and shape but all seem well tended. There's one that catches me eye, a couple houses down from mine. It's got blue paint and a really cute balcony out from one of the side windows. If I was to choose any other house on this street to live in, it would be that one. 

I reach the intersection. There's no one driving, even though it's 2 pm in the middle of summer and it's 100+ degrees. I love the weather here, it's slightly more southern than our old town, making the weather warmer. I feel the sun beating down on my back and soak it all up. My friends at my old town and I used to have a joke where when it was really hot out we'd run around with our arms spread out and yell "PHOTOSYNTHESIS" I feel a smile creep across my face, then slink back off again because I don't have that anymore. I try to shake off the feeling of loneliness but it's hard so I decide to speed walk over to the next crosswalk. I pass several shops, including a florist, a stationery with cute window displays, and a shoe store. Finally, the first sign of humanity other than me. I see a woman walking her dog. We exchange pleasantries and move on. At last I make my way to the center of town. There's a park in the middle where three streets intersect. It's not very large but seems like a good place to hang out after going shopping or something. There's a couple trees and benches, and it's all very green. I look around, trying to find the cafe that I saw the other day- found it. I cross the street, taking in my surroundings. Now that I'm in the center of town there are people and signs of life. I spot three couples, one group of teenage girls hanging out and a couple more people walking their dogs. More stationery and clothing stores line the streets. I also see two bookstores, one used one, and one new, and make a note to myself to check it out later. There are also some hair salons and bakeries. I finally reach the café. 

"Café de Fée"

I read. On closer inspection I like it even more. It's not that large, with a large window in the front revealing the inside of the cafe. The old sign hanging above the doorway was painted dark brown with slightly faded golden lettering. The whole place had a slightly fairy tale feel, and the bell above the doorway jingled as I stepped in. 

The barista looked up when I entered. "Hello, what can I get you today?" They ask politely. I look up at the menu. I have to squint a bit because my eyesight isn't the best, especially in the dimly lit cafe. I read through the menu. Frappes- coffee, mocha chip, vanilla bean, caramel, matcha and strawberry- they also had espressos and iced coffees but what caught my eye was the caramel frappe. 

"One medium caramel frappe please." I order, and dig ¥500 out of my back pocket. I pay and take my drink to table tucked in the back corner of the cafe. I observe the inside for the first time since arriving. It's empty, save a couple guys and girls hanging out. There are maybe six mini tables for two and one long table with stools. It really was a cute place, the type of place where I could spend hours reading. I finish my drink and head out, ready to head back to the house, my exploration complete. I decide to check out the bookstore another time. 

~X~

I hate unpacking. I almost did throw up today, after seeing the amount of boxes we had to go through. We get a couple visit from other people living on our street. We meet an old couple who have lived on this street for over 20 years. There's a young couple who have two children, ages three and four. Sadly I haven't met anyone my age yet but there was a teenage girl who was May's age and goes to the school she'll be going to. They went off to hang out somewhere. That gives me a bit of relief because I really was worried that May wouldn't be able to accept the change. At least I only have to worry about myself now. 

~X~ 

It's been a week since we moved into our new house. We've finally finished unpacking most of the boxes and shoved the rest in the basement storage. I've visited both bookstores and decided the used bookstore is my favorite. The way I've spent most of my week is buying books at the used bookstore and reading them at the café. I've been there so often I’m already considered a regular. I haven't heard any disembodied Disney singing all week and I'm starting to think that was my imagination. I must have been really sad and out of it I guess. The more I think about it, the more it doesn't make sense. I'm still very curious though. What sort of person sings Disney songs at 11 pm?

~X~ 

Of course May throws the frisbee into the Kuroos' yard. Of course. The blue disk sailed far past its mark(me, or more accurately my head) and flew over the fence separating the two yards. She stood there, unwilling to get the frisbee and risk human interaction. So I have to do it. 

I hop the fence and land in their backyard. I actually did it parkour style and didn't land on my face and I'm quite proud of myself. I look around for the frisbee. There it is! It's stuck in the bushes by the side yard. I walk towards it, carefully avoiding the clumps of setaria, violets and catnip(?) growing haphazardly in the lawn. Just sad I'm about to reach over and pick it up, I hear a loud crash overhead and an angry "OUCH."

I look up to see a the figure of a guy in the open window above me. He's still muttering under his breath and rubbing his toe which he seems to have stubbed- wait. Wait wait wait. Hold up. Is he... Shirtless? I feel the blush creeping up my cheeks and into my ears. I've caught my new neighbor changing. Oh god. I let out a nervous squeak. Suddenly, the sounds above stop and he poked his head out the window. 

"Hello?" His voice is very normal. This situation is not. I take a good look at his face for the first time. My first thought is woah, how does someone even sleep to get their hair like that? It flopped forward in the front, by his right eye, and poofed up in the back. It was jet black, and just looking at it made me want to run my hand over it and attempt to smooth it down. But why am I thinking this? A deep blush has now enveloped my entire face and I'm quite sure I look like a tomato. 

"You ok?" He calls from above. I chuckle nervously. 

"Yeah. I'm fine. Are you? You seemed to be in some serious pain there."

He grimaced. "Yeah, I had to avoid tripping over Nami again and ended up stubbing my toe against the wall... Nami is my cat by the way."

Oh. That explained the catnip and setaria. 

"And you? What are you doing in my lawn?" He said, arms resting on the windowsill, head tilted towards mine. Oh right! I'd forgotten about the frisbee. I grabbed it from the bushes. 

"My sister threw the frisbee into your yard sorry. We just moved in the other day." I said, "and also can I ask why you're shirtless?"

He smirked. "Is there a reason you’re noticing my shirtless self?"

As if things couldn't get any worse. Why did he have to say that? My mouth snarked off before the rest of my body could catch up. 

"Well you know, when you didn't even know there was anyone your age on the street, and when you do finally see them it turns out they're a guy and they like to walk around shirtless, it does things to you." 

I clasped a hand over my mouth. Oh god. I can't believe I let myself say that. I take the frisbee and sprint like my life depended on it. I look over my shoulder and see his face, just as red as mine, eyes following me as I run back into my house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and onto chap 2!
> 
> imagine seeing kuroo shirtless though


	2. Trolls under the Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding kuroo in my kitchen at 9am? Not a fun experience.

I run into my house and slam the door behind me. I can see May out of the corner of my eye, yelling at me, asking what's wrong. I rush up the stairs taking them four at a time(this is a new record). I burst through the door of my room and dive into my bed. My heart won't stop beating. Oh god. He's never going to talk to me again anyway. He must think I'm some sort of freak or something to be staring at his shirtlessness. Although to be fair, you wouldn't expect your first encounter with a teenage guy in the town to be with him shirtless. I was still rude though. And I was staring at his chest. I start rolling around on my bed in embarrassment. Just from the memory I feel like my head could explode. 

After several minutes of me just rolling around on my bed, I decide that enough is enough. I take in a deep breath. There's no point in dwelling on it. It's been said and done. I'll just apologize to him later, or better yet- never talk to him again. I am finally calm enough to realize my room is very dark. I quickly sit up and cross the room to open my curtains. I open them all in one sweep, wondering which way my room faces. I didn't get to see this yesterday because it was too dark and I have a terrible sense of direction so I half expect to see my driveway. Nope. Someone greets me instead. A still shirtless someone. 

"Hey."

I find myself staring at the guy from before. Our rooms are right across from each other. I resist the urge to squeak and duck under my window ledge. I choke out a reply. 

"Hi"

That smirk again. I'm really starting to hate that smirk, especially since it seems to he doing weird things to my heart. 

"So you’re not going to run away?" He asks teasingly. His head rested on one arm and the other was dangling from the window. His hair was fluttering in the light breeze. God, I really want to try touching it... 

"Uh, hello?"

Back to the present. Flustered I snarked back an answer. 

"And you're still shirtless."

A faint blush creeps to his cheeks and I feel a twinge of victory. 

"Well I was changing, you just happened to be under my window at that time."

 

"And you still haven't finished changing?"

 

"It was hot, I decided to just keep my shirt off. Is it... Distracting?"

He has me there. Now it's me with the red blossoming on my face. I feel like from an outside standpoint this would be like a match, back and forth back and forth. I'm not going to lose. 

"What's more distracting is your yodeling Disney at 1 am."

There. Got him. His face slowly turns red, from his cheeks to his ears. It was very satisfying to see his face a lovely shade of maroon. I feel an evil smile coming on. 

"So ah, you can hear that."

Although he's the one that should be flustered, I'm also feeling really flustered because my heart is doing weird things again. 

"Yeah um when I can't sleep I listen to Disney songs cause you know, childhood..."

He's trying to justify himself now. He won't look me in the eye and is playing with the tip of his bangs. After a couple seconds, he looks at me from under his bangs with a nervous sort of expression, as if he's afraid of what I'll say. He's getting really embarrassed and his face is turning a color that's probably not healthy and definitely not natural for a person's face to turn. There's only one thing I can do to make this less awkward. Looking back, I feel like there was another way to go about the situation, but oh well. 

"Do do do do do do. Now I'm the king of the swingers all, the jungle VIP. I've reached the top and had to stop and that's what's been bothering me. I want to be a man, man-cub. And stroll right into town."

While I'm singing I see his expression getting happier and happier, like a young child who's finally found a playmate who agrees with his views on Pokemon. Or, more accurately a teenage guy who finally found another person who can sing Disney as well as them and not judge them for it. 

"And be just like the other men. I'm tired of monkeying around." He sings. We end up singing all of "I wanna be just like you". It's really entertaining, and I feel some of the stress from all the unpacking begin to drain away. We sing without looking into each other's eyes, because if you think about it this is really quite embarrassing. We finished the song and I'm about to turn away when I hear him start to sing the opening bars of "I'll make a man out of you." It's over. I turn back to him, look him right in the eye and sing at the top of my voice,

"TO DEFEAT. THE HUNS."

If he's surprised the only telltale reaction he gives is a little smile. Neither of us are very good at singing, but I guess I'm not thinking straight due to oxygen because I start to find comfort in his voice, always there singing the next line with me. With each line we get louder and louder, and by the end it's a competition. "mysterious as the dark side of the moon" is sung so loudly Mom yells at me to "please shut up before I make you" from the kitchen below.

I can't help but to laugh at this, and soon he is too. The sounds of singing are replaced by laughter and I'm pretty sure I heard a couple snorts. He finally gets himself together. 

"Let's redo this. Hi. My name is Tetsurou Kuroo, but you can call me Kuroo."

I reach out my hand to shake his, but realize he's about 10 feet away and it would be a bad idea to try and shake his hand from here. His smirk is back when he sees my awkward attempts to hide the hand I was about to stretch out. 

"Hi. I'm *insert name here*. Nice to meet you." I reply hastily. "Well, bye than, don't forget to put on a shirt."

I awkwardly retract my head back into my room and close the curtains because although I want sunlight I'd rather him not be able to see my every move, and I have the skylight after all. After a couple minutes of waiting for my heart to calm down I take a peek from behind the curtains at his room. He isn't at the window anymore, and his curtains are also drawn. I feel a twinge of disappointment but ignore it. Well that was awkward. Not like I had fun singing Disney songs or anything. Not at all. 

~X~ 

The next morning I'm woken up by the sound of Mom banging on the door. 

"Wake up! You have a guest!!"

What? My mind still groggy from sleep didn't understand what was going on- the only thing it could comprehend was that it was 9am on a Tuesday morning during summer break. I should not be up this early. I moan and roll over in my bed, dragging my pillow on top of my head. 

"GET UP. IN 5, 4, 3..."

Oh no. She's started The Countdown™. Better get up. I lug myself out of bed and get out of the room. Mom stops The Countdown™ and looks at me, still in my plaid pajama pants and second favorite fandom t-shirt. She looks over my hair which could probably nest a murder of crows, to my face, eyes still barely managing to stay open. She clucks her tongue. 

"Go get dressed and ready for breakfast. You can't walk down like this! And why didn't you tell me you made a friend?" She pushes me back into my room with a final warning. "And if you go back to sleep, I'll personally be up there in 10 minutes to drag you out of bed."

I grumpily toss on my most comfortable jeans shorts(which have back pockets so big I bet I could fit a small book I there; in fact I have) and a tank top. I rip a brush through my hair and finally splash some cold water onto my face to wake up. I lumber down the stairs and towards the kitchen where I can smell Mom's Pancakes™, ready for me to eat. 

"... I'm so sorry to make you wait. None of us are really morning people."

 

"Well I did come without any notice. Thank you for letting me in while I wait."

 

"No problem! Want to have something to eat?"

 

"Oh yes please that would be great."

I freez. Wait. I know that voice. Please don't tell me it's who I think it is. I round the corner of the hallway and enter the kitchen. There, sitting on a stool(my stool, the one that I always use) was Kuroo. Unconsciously I let out a groan. I must have angered some god from somewhere because this really is not someone I would like to see at 9 am.

"Oh ho ho is sleeping beauty awake?"

Kuroo asks. He's wearing a shirt today. It's red and plain but I'm glad there's something covering his chest. I roll my eyes and groan while gesturing for Mom's Pancakes™. 

"You're being rude!" Mom reprimands me. I just growl and take the maple syrup. As I eat breakfast Kuroo tell Mom about the town. He's acting very polite and this is not the guy with the smirk I met yesterday and it's low-key scaring me. This is all very nice and all, but there's one thing I'd like to know. 

"So this is all great and all, barging in on my family and I at 9am but may I ask why you're here and what you wish to accomplish?" I ask Kuroo. He doesn't do the smirk, probably because Mom is here, and instead answers politely(which I find gross.)

"Well since you're new here and you were talking about how you didn't know anyone your age, I figured I could show you around town."

Mom seems overjoyed that I found a friend who is "polite" and will actually show me around. I, on the other hand, am the opposite of overjoyed. Underjoyed? I feel like he's just going to smirk and make fun of me plus it's way too early for this. But Kuroo and are ushered to the door by Mom who gives me ¥50000 and tells me not to come back for a while. I wonder if that's the way she'll kick me out of the house once I'm older. The door closes behind me and I'm left on the sidewalk with Kuroo.

"So let's head uptown."

He goes off in the direction that the café is in. Am I just supposed to follow? He isn’t explaining the situation so I decide to go with it. He walks fast, two of my strides equaling one of his. Is he going to bring up last night? Are we going to talk about the fact that we were aggressively singing Disney songs to each other? Is that entire incident going to be ignored? Kuroo stops. 

"This is one of my favorite cafés and I figured you might like it..."

I look up. It's Café de Fée. I decide not to say anything and just follow him into the cafe. Kuroo walks up to the counter. 

"Hi, can I have a large mocha? And what do you want?" He asks me. The barista just asks me, "The usual?"

I nod. The perplexed look on Kuroo's face makes me smile. 

"I've been here before." I shrug. I'm at home at Café de Fée. The dimly lit shop has been my refuge this last week when I get too tired of looking at the many boxes I still need to unpack. 

"That would have been nice to know beforehand."

 

"You didn't tell me you were taking me here."

It doesn't make me happy that Kuroo and I have the same tastes in cafés. Not one bit. 

We sit down at a table, which just so happens to be my perch in the café. It also seems like we have the same taste spots to sit. The barista sees this and raises an eyebrow, but I pointedly ignore that. 

"So, ah, how's the town? Is it different from your old one? Did you have cafes like this?" Kuroo is making conversation. Good thing too, because I really didn't know what to say. 

"This town's really nice. We did have a cafe like this, my friends and I used to hang out there all the time..." My voice trails off. Just thinking about my friends...

Almost as though he read my mind, Kuroo quickly changed the subject. "And since you've been around here already, I guess you've been to the used bookstore?"

Grateful for the change in topic, I answer quickly. "Yeah, I love to read."

 

"Favorite authors? I love Mccamon and Glen Cook's great too."

 

"I love Stinger! The Black Company is also one of my all time favorites." 

I'm pretty surprised. To think that me and Kuroo would have the same tastes in books... 

"I also love The Time Scout series, but it's not as popular." Kuroo says. Oh my god. Did he just say The Time Scout series?! I love those books! "By Robert Asprin?!"

Kuroo's entire face lights up and I feel a bit blinded. Wow. I really love seeing that expression on his face... I wonder what it would take to get that expression on his face more...

We discuss time travel and aliens taking over Earth. We also talk about Howel's Moving Castle, and I'm thrilled that he enjoys Diana Wynne Jones, and we seem to have very similar tastes. Now I have four things in common with him. Our taste in cafes, seats, books and the fact that we aren't(too) embarrassed to belt out Disney songs to each other out the window. The genres I like are action, fantasy, and sci fi. This pertains books, movies, shows and games. I also don't mind reading teen romance novels, and was excited to hear that Kuroo, unlike most teenage boys, actually enjoyed good romance writing. We were in the middle of debating on what would have happened if Neville was the Chosen One and not Harry, when I realized that Kuroo had successfully gotten my mind off my old town and abandoned friends. I felt a smile tugging at my cheeks. I let it break across my face. I didn't think I'd enjoy talking to Kuroo this much. Contrary to previous belief he wasn't just some smirking Disney singing guy who liked to tease. He could actually hold an intelligent conversation, and apparently he could read people very well because he seemed to be able to tell when I was getting down immediately. 

After about half an hour of us excitedly waving our arms around about why time travel had to be possible, we decided to leave the cafe. 

"Where we going now?" I asked Kuroo. We've come quite far downtown, and I can't recognize my surroundings anymore. "You'll see," Is the one answer I get. I kind of expect him to bring me to some shady alleyway or something. Instead, I find myself at a park, but not the one in the center of town. We walk in. It's quite large, with a field and running track. I see a couple kids playing on a jungle gym. There's also a swing set, which I take note of. No one is ever too old to swing. Behind the sandbox in circling the playground is an expanse of trees. I see a running trail snaking through. Kuroo heads for the trees. 

We walk through a sunlight dappled path. It's paved, but narrow and winding, just big enough for two people to walk side by side. Actually, it's not really big enough for that and every time our elbows touch I can feel sparks snaking up my arm. All the trees have leaves and the plants are in full bloom, making it seem as though we are walking through a tunnel of green. It's very calming and enchanting. I see a couple squirrels and rabbits, maybe the shadow of a fox. I'm starting to wonder where he's trying to take me when the path opens up to a bridge. It's a small one, old but not old enough to seek unsafe, the white painting chipping. I race up to the bridge and stand on the edge, hanging over the rail. I stare at the narrow brook gurgling beneath it. I feel like I could find a troll under the bridge. I lean in the look farther and- Suddenly I realize I've leaned too far. My body starts to tilt and the brook seems to be getting closer. I'm going to fall- 

I feel a pair of strong arms around me, keeping me from falling. They lift me back onto the bridge easily, as if I weighed nothing.

"Woah. You ok there?"

Kuroo asks. I nod, heart racing. I can't believe I almost fell in. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself and stop my head from spinning. 

"Uh, you want to let go?"

I point at Kuroo's arms which are still wrapped around my waist. He lets go, face burning. 

"Oh, sorry I just-"

We both look away, faces on fire. Thump, thump, thump. I thought my heart had calmed down, but apparently not. I look around at the trees, searching for a sign of life. Anything to distract myself from the lingering feeling of his arms around me 

Neither of us can look each other in the eye when we walk back. 

~X~ 

"Thanks for today. The brook was really pretty."

We made it home. I finally look at Kuroo's face. We make eye contact, and suddenly my face is burning again and it's like I could fry an egg on my cheeks. We look away quickly.

"Yeah. No problem. Well, see you tomorrow." Kuroo quickly says, stumbling over his tongue. He walks so quickly back into his house that it's almost a full on run. I walk into my house, in a daze. I walk up the steps(normally, ‘cause I'm too tired for this) and collapse onto my bed. I lay there for a couple seconds, wondering what had happened today. Then I sit up really quickly as the realization hits me. 

"He said see you tomorrow"

I say out loud. I don't even bother trying to quell the smile that's leaking onto my face because I finally realized, in this moment, that I am well and truly screwed. Because I might just be falling for the guy next door. Maybe. Just a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand onto chap3 
> 
> it gets hella fluffy real quick


	3. Do I have a crush on Kuroo? Definitely.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sneaking out at 3am with kuroo, because Mom would totally approve. Not.

For the couple days, every morning I'd wake up to Mom's Countdown(tm) and Kuroo sitting in my kitchen. We'd drop by Café de Fée, pick up our coffees. Then Kuroo would show me around town. The first day we went to the library. The public library is just a huge area, filled to the brim with books. They have books for all age groups and diverse genres. They even have a comic and manga section. My favorite section is the young adult fantasy section. It's a little room right in between the action and romance genres. There's a couple tables and armchairs, and free wifi. It's quickly become my second refuge. 

Kuroo also takes me to the public pool, although I decline the offer to go in. He shows me the high school I'll be attending this fall. Turns out he also goes there. It's not like I'm happy that's I'll get to see him in school or anything. 

He also decided to show me where every single ice cream store in located. It turns out there's four. We get ice cream at every one. I learn that his favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip(mine is cookie dough). My favorite shop is called Eliabeth's Ice Cream Parlor. It has the best vanilla ice cream and although Kuroo thinks it's creepy, I like the mascot of the shop. It's an odd penguin like thing with big round eyed with small pupils and a yellow beak that can be found drawn on to the sign above the shop. 

This town has lots of cute shops and standalone stores and it's fun to look around. I got really excited to find a bakery that sells chocolate croissants, because those are to die for. Kuroo makes fun of me a bit, but I get him back by making fun of the fact that he desperately wanted to go into a video game shop to buy the newest Pokemon game. The days went on like this, us bickering back and forth but neither really meaning it, and I slowly began learn the down. It seems less foreign, more familiar. I can walk the streets without fear of getting lost, and I’ve gone to Café de Fée so many times that the little table in the corner that I always sit at has been deemed mine. Even May, who was so reluctant to move at first has, fallen in love with the new town in house; not that she’s ever admit it. Right now she’s out of the house having a sleepover with her newfound best friend. I, on the other hand am lying on my back on my bed, looking up at the one crack in the ceiling. I really love my room. It’s the perfect size, housing three bookshelves and a long desk. We put a beanbag chair in the corner, which I curl up to read it. It would all be perfect- except every little thing reminds me of the friends I left at home. The beanbag chair remind me of Karen, who was obsessed with the same books as I was. We could talk about books for hours on end without ever getting tired of it. The desk, of Hiro, who I only started talking to in middle school. We were in the same algebra class. He’s really smart so I always got math help from him. Then there’s Anna. Every picture and poster out up on my wall reminds me of her. I’ve known her my entire life and she lived just up the street from me. We weren’t that alike except for the fact that we were both very imaginative and stubborn, and we had many, many fights but we were like sisters. When I told them I was moving, Karen and Hiro pretended to be happy for me, but Anna didn’t even bother to lie. No one wanted me to leave. 

That’s when I finally realize the tears sliding down my cheeks. I hadn’t wanted to leave. I didn’t want to start over my life- I had one back there. I wanted to spend this summer hanging out with Karen, Hiro and Anna. I wanted to go to the tiny public pool with them. I wanted to eat ice cream at the ice cream place a couple blocks away from Hiro’s house and laugh when Karen gets ice cream down her chin. I wanted to slave over the endless amounts of homework Hiro and I got, both of us just trying to get it over with. I wanted to spend the rest of my childhood with Anna, my best friend, worst enemy and sister. The tears won’t stop now. Karen calls this “waterfalling”- when you’re crying so hard it’s like a waterfall. I’m definitely waterfalling. Sobs start building up in the back of my throat. I want to go home. This isn’t home. This is-

I’m abruptly yanked away from my train of thought by the sound of something hitting my window. I stop crying for a second, straining my ears for the source. When I hear nothing, I’m about to continue my waterfalling when something thunks onto my window again. Exasperated, I quickly wipe my face with my sleeve and lumber towards the window. I open it and pop my head out. I’m greeted with Kuroo, poised to throw another rock.

“Oh good, I thought I was going to have to break your window down.” He says with that irritating smirk of his. “Get your shoes, I have something to show you.”

I take a look at the alarm clock next to my bed. 3 am. I was tempted to throw a rock at him and tell him to please shut up and go to sleep, but I was awake anyway and who even keeps rocks in their bedroom? I decide to just do what he says, slipping on a pair of sneakers and heading out the door. If Mom knew I was going out so late, with a boy nonetheless I would be so screwed. My mind finally caught up with the situation. I was going out, at 3 am, with a guy. If it was any other time my heart would be beating up a storm, but I really wasn’t in the mood. Then why am I out here?

Kuroo meets me on the lawn. He’s checking his phone for the time when he looks up and sees me.

“Oh, I wasn’t sure you were going to show.”

I just shrugged. 

“You’ll love it.” He says, and proceeds to grab my hand and pull me towards where ever we’re going. Love what? If I wasn’t awake before, I am now. My heart has now finally caught up and is beating up more than a storm, it’s beating up a hurricane… does that even make sense? I can feel Kuroo’s pulse through my arm and realise he’s just as nervous as I am. I don’t even know where we’re heading, I just bask in the feeling of his hand around mine. He has large hands, I realize, because his entire hand can encircle mine. They're slightly calloused and very warm. But not sweaty warm. Just a pleasant temperature. I shake my head at what I'm thinking. 

The night air is cool across my damp cheeks. It's not chilly enough to be uncomfortable, a nice temperature. He's walking towards the park. We make our way towards the woods, his hand still around mine. We enter the tunnel of trees. I take a sharp breath at the sight before me. 

It's like something out of a fairy tale. The trees are illuminated by the tens of fireflies floating around, flickering their lights on and off. There are moonflowers and evening primroses that I hadn't noticed before are blooming. The sounds of frogs croaking and crickets chirping fills the night with a harmony of sound. Kuroo sees my expression and smiles. He grasped my hand tighter and walks farther in. We walk past the bridge with the troll(yes, there is a troll and no one can tell me otherwise). Finally, the trees open up and we step out onto a field of grass. Tall grass waves in the wind lazily. We were in a clearing of grass bordered by trees. The sky could be seen with a clarity that made every star seem touchable. It was a large clearing, and it was as if something had just cleared out all the trees and planted a bunch of grass. Kuroo lay down on his back, head in arms, looking up at the sky. I follow his suit. We lay there for a couple seconds. I take in the scene around me. The grass, whispering in my ear, the flickering of the fireflies and the stars illuminating the sky. I roll over to see Kuroo staring at me, watching my reaction. When we make eye contact I quickly roll away, because suddenly, his face was very very close. I turn back around, and we're back to back. It's only then I realize our hands are still clasped. Neither of us make a move to change that. We lie in comfortable silence for a couple seconds more before I break it. 

"Wow. This is really beautiful."

"Yeah. There's been a meteor shower but it's supposed to reach its peak in..." Kuroo checks his phone. "Two minutes. We barely made it. I figured you'd enjoy seeing that and this is the best place for it so..."

"You threw rocks at my window."

"Yeah."

I sat there for a bit, wondering how else this situation could get more perfect. Suddenly, a streak of light flashed above us. 

"Did you see that!?”

"Yeah, looks like it's starting."

Just than, another one. I kept my eyes wide open, afraid I'd miss the next one. I've never seen a meteor shower before, but I'm lucky and it's supposed to be a high rate shower, according to Kuroo. We lie in the field, waiting the meteors. We aren't disappointed. Over the course of- I don't even know how long it's been- I feel like I've seen hundreds of silver streaks in the night sky. Mother Nature's show makes me breathless, and I watch in awe as the meteors fly through the sky. 

I feel like I'm the main character of some fairy tale. Here I am, lying in a field of grass surrounded by an enchanting forest. I'm watching meteors whizz by with a guy who I may or may not like, who's still holding my hand right now. Just to experiment, I try squeezing Kuroo's hand. He grins and squeezes back. Oh no. My stomach does a flip and turns itself inside out before finally knotting itself. I look at his lips which make a smile, the real one, not the smirk one(although I quite like the smirk one too). I look at his hair, spread out in the grass, damp from the dew on the blades and have the urge to touch it again. Not good. I finally look into his eyes, which are staring right at mine. Yep. Definitely not good. I've got to admit it. I am falling for this guy. Hard.

As I stare into the depths of his eyes, and he stares into mine, it feels as though time has stopped. He's the only one in my world and I am the only one in his. The only thing moving are the meteors, still brilliant silver streaks across the sky. The only thing that keeps me rooted to the Earth is his hand, tightly clasped around my hand. Even still, I'm afraid I'll float up to outer space. I can see the way his cheekbones line his face and his nose curves. We're so close that I can even feel his breath lightly on my face. It's dark, but I'm pretty sure my blush is red enough to be seen even with the cover of darkness. I take a peek at his lips. They're really close. Really, really close. I can tell he's thinking the same thing, because he swifts his body so his face just a little closer, the tips of our noses almost touching. I start inching toward those lips. He's leaning forward and we're almost there and-

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

We both pause and look down at my stomach, which just made a horrific growling noise. 

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This time it's louder and longer. It's as if my stomach is alive, and it's hungry. The blush that was from the closeness of our faces quickly turns to a blush of intense embarrassment. 

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHHA"

I look at Kuroo, astounded. What was that noise that just came out of his mouth? That wasn't a laugh was it? It couldn't have been. It sounded like a mix between a dying hyena and a barking dog. Kuroo's still laughing his hyena laugh. A grin is creeping into my face. What else could I do in this situation but laugh? 

We're both laughing for a while, until I feels tears in the corners of my eyes and my non existent abs hurt from laughing so much. Kuroo keeps up his hyena laugh, and every time I hear it I crack up more, which doesn't really help the situation. That laugh is definitely unique. Not like I find it cute or anything. Not at all. 

Finally, Kuroo gets himself together. 

"Want to head back?" He checks his phone. "It's already 5 am. We should go."

5 am?! That means we were staring at each other for two hours straight. I quickly look up, remembering that the meteor shower was still occurring. The silver slashes are still lighting up the sky. I take one last look at the sight and answer. 

"Yeah. Let's head back."

We hold hands even on the way back. When we reach my house, Kuroo gives me his smirk. 

"Don't forget to feed that stomach."

Blushing, I run into the house. I was going to thank him for showing me the shower, but after that comment I decide against it. I turn back a final time before going in. He's standing there, shadowed by the rising sun. His silhouette engraved into my mind. The hair that seriously needs a comb, the long legs and arms that seem so much bigger than mine. His hand, which was encircling mine until just moments ago. Yup. This is the guy I like. 

I tiptoe up the stairs all ninja like. I know the house well enough by now to know which stairs creak, and I use my stair jumping skills to avoid them. I open my door just wide enough for me to slip in, and go to my bed. Then I promptly burrow under the covers and let out a muffled squeal into my pillow because did that really just happen?!?!?! Did I really just sneak out of the house at 3 am to watch a meteor shower with my new neighbor whom I may have a giant crush on?! All these thoughts circle my head before I drift into sleep. The final one, is that Kuroo has once again succeeded in cheering me up, even if he didn't realize it and done it unconsciously. 

~X~ 

I'm standing in a field of waving grass. It spreads all around me in every direction. The only other color I can see other than the blue of the sky and green of the grass are the splashes of red from the roses. My long white dress flutters around my ankles in the soft breeze. There's not a sign of life among the waves of green. I'm all alone. Suddenly my dress is restricting and it's hard to breath. The bright blue sky instantly turns dark. Thunder clouds roll across the horizon. The air grows heavy with the promise of rain. I see flashes of lightning in the distance. I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll be alone forever, just me in this beautiful world. 

That's when the clouds part and a stream of sunlight hits me. The thunder clouds evaporate and the sky turns blue again, and Kuroo is standing right next to me. He is in knight armour with a sword strapped to his back. The armour suits him very well, the silver played gleaming in the sun. And suddenly, I'm not lonely anymore. 

~X~ 

I sit up with a start. I press a hand to my cheek. Yep. Just like I thought, I was blushing in my sleep. I lie back down with a thump. I stare at the ceiling wondering where I went wrong. What possessed my unconscious mind to dream up Kuroo in knight's armour. I shake my head at my own dream. I look over at the alarm clock. 2 pm. 2 pm?! Suddenly the events of last night come crashing into me like a tidal wave. Kuroo throwing rocks at my window at 3 am. Holding Kuroo's hand. Watching a meteor shower with Kuroo. My head is full of memories of Kuroo, only centimeters away from my face. I take a pillow and shove it into my face from embarrassment I don't even know why I'm feeling. 

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm startled from my thoughts by the sound of my phone buzzing from my bedside table. I check the name. It's Anna. I haven't texted her in a couple days and this is just what I needed. I scramble out of bed and fumble for the keys on my phone. 

Anna: hi!! ^w^  
Me: heyyy whats ap  
Anna: nothing much. U? Done unpacking yet? Hows this Kuroo guy you keep talking to me about  
Me: well actually...  
Anna: ????? 

I explained what happened last night. My explanation was interrupted by Anna's occasional "THATS SO CUTE" and "OHMIGOD JUST MARRY HIM"s. 

Me: so how are you guys  
Anna: preparing for the new year. Hanging out. Nothing really.  
Me: I miss you :/  
Anna: yeah me too  
Anna: but I'm glad ur doing ok  
Anna: we were scared 4 u  
Me: ??  
Anna: well adjusting's hard and stuff  
Me: awww  
Anna: its nice to here ur doing ok

They were worried for me. I can feel the tears trying to escape but I hold them down. 

Anna: even if were in different places were still friends  
Anna: forever  
Anna: so don't worry about us  
Anna: just enjoy ur new town  
Anna: make new friends  
Anna: then tell me about them  
Anna: especially kuroo  
Anna: you got this(~_^)b  
Me: *starts waterfalling tears of gratitude*  
Anna: nooo don't cryyy 

I wipe my tears away and smile a watery smile. I love Anna. We're both trying hard to get used to this new thing and I have to work hard for her and my friends at home. I blow my nose on my sleeve and get off my bed. I go over to the curtains and open them with a over dramatic sweep of my arm. I open the window to get some fresh air. 

There, staring across at me is Kuroo, shirtless again. I kind of just stand there gaping for a bit. 

"I see your beautiful even in your polka dot pajamas." He called me beautiful. The fact that he saw me in his pajamas doesn't even register. He called me beautiful. My head empties of every thing but that word. Beautiful. I feel like I could float up to the Milky Way. 

"...hello? Anyone there?"

Oh. He's talking to me. 

"Sorry I didn't catch that."

"Seems your head is too full of air and fluff to get what I'm saying."

He smirks. I roll my eyes. The gap between us is huge, comparing to yesterday but it still feels like it’s only us in the world. 

"Did you like last night's show?"

"Yeah thanks for taking me."

"Have you been... Crying?"

Kuroo's tone changes from sarcastic to worried in a flash. It's crazy how well he can read me. Or maybe it's just my eyes are red. 

"Yeah but I'm fine now." I smile. It seems he wants to pry but he restrains himself. I'm grateful for that. 

"So why are you shirtless?"

"It's hot out."

"Noted."

We banter back and forth for a while until Kuroo becomes serious once again. "I was wondering... Doyouwanttogotothebeachwithmetomorrow."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you want to go to the beach with me tomorrow?"

Was this... A date? Oh my god. He's asking me out on a date. With him. Only him. To the beach. My brain is short circuiting.

"Well?"

"Yes! I mean yeah. Sure. Let's go."

Kuroo's face lights up in that smile that fills me with warmth. "Tomorrow morning at 9. I'll be in your kitchen."

"My kitchen?"

"Yeah I'm sure your mom will let me in."

Chuckling, I pop back into the window. "It's a date."

I take a look over my shoulder to see his reaction. He's covered his mouth with his hand, blushing all the way up to his ears. I smile. I can't wait for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chap will be the last. it should be updated in about a week


End file.
